Magnetic Nanoparticles to Enhance Cell Seeding and Distribution in Tissue Engineering Scaffolds

The success of tissue engineering scaffolds is intimately linked with the ability of the seeded cells to adequately distribute and proliferate within the scaffold matrix. In tissue engineering scaffolds, it is difficult to achieve adequate distribution due to the hydrophobic nature of most scaffold materials and poor initial distribution following scaffold seeding. In this study, we investigated the distribution of cells in PLGA salt-leached scaffolds after seeding with magnetic nanoparticle loaded cells with a neodymium magnet placed below. The combined use of magnetic nanoparticle seeded cells and magnetic force was able to not only increase the total number of scaffold adherent cells, but also increase the infiltration and distribution compared with controls. This method to control the distribution of cells may provide a method to increase the functionality of tissue engineering scaffolds.